We’ve all lost a little bit of magic today. The brilliant, bug-eyed striker who lit up Italia ’90 for fans of the Azzurri – and many beyond – is gone. Few players shone with such intensity and sheer unbridled joy as Totò Schillaci.
There have been plenty of greater players for Italy and lots who won more honours but few won the hearts of a nation as much as the Sicilian goalscorer. In an age where our stars have become increasingly distant, he felt like he was one of us. When he scored a goal for his country he burst with pride that came buzzing through his body and transmitted itself to fans in the ground and watching on TV.
He was living our collective dream and he wasn’t afraid to show it. Ciao Totò Hero of the Notti Magiche💙 — Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) He seemed just as surprised as we were at how he seized the world stage in that summer of the . Just a year before the tournament, the boy from Palermo was plying his trade with Messina and was hardly on the radar of .
A move to and a season where he scored a goal every other game in Serie A made his claims to play for his country irresistible. It was that rags-to-riches story that grabbed our attention and made us fall in love with the little hitman. His Italy debut came just months before the tournament when it was fully expected Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini would be Azeglio Vicini’s star men.
Then along came Totò and Roberto Baggio and ripped up those plans. The Divin Codi.